In the Eye of the Beholder? Assessments of Psychopathology among Prisoners by Federal Prison Staff

Abstract

A research instrument was prepared that lists prison violations that vary in eccentricity. Staff members of three federal facilities—one containing a subpopulation of disturbed inmates—completed this questionnaire. Staff “pathology” ratings of prisoner behavior proved identical for the three groups, but recommended dispositions differed between staff who work in the “enriched” prison and the other groups. Irrespective of settings, some staff produced higher estimates of the prevalence of emotional problems among inmates than did others. The high estimators among staff also rated individual behavior descriptions more frequently as symptomatic of pathology—again, irrespective of setting. Context (including dispositional alternatives and prison philosophy) affects the range of dispositions used by staff, but it does not determine staff assessments of the rationality/irrationality of the behavior of inmates.